First Solo Exhibition, 'WORKS by EMY THIRAN,' in July 2022

‘Emy Thiran Works’ was my first solo exhibition featuring 14 paintings in acrylic, held at Komunal, Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar. I was honoured to have my friend + artist Anum (Noor Mahnun Mohamad) curate the show. I loved how her arrangement of the works made the place look intimate and spacious at the same time. Chuah Chong Yong and team did the whole physical set up, putting up wall panels, wall stickers and some additional lighting.

Each artwork had an accompanying quote, sort of a mini haiku desribing the underlying thought.

Within a day, the space was set up and ready to go!

My ex-graduate student and friend Kay, agreed to be my gallery sitter (couldn’t have done it without you, Kay!) On the right: a video showing the work process, some merch on sale, as well as my book, Living Art.

My parents and my hubby’s family. Thank you for your support!

Workshops were heid where participants used mixed media like water based paint, crayons, oil pastels and charcoal to do some intuitive mark making and then after warming up, they produced mini abstracts. They created some pretty cool work!

10 days flew by, and just as quickly as it was put up, everything was taken down within 3 hours. Paintings were delivered to their new owners the very next day. Very happy to have met so many old and new friends, and having the chance to showcase these works and talk about them.

Thank you for sharing this journey with me!

Horizontal Scroll Format

I’ve been exploring long horizontal compositions, inspired by Cheong Soo Pieng’s long scroll format. He was such a master of composition. I’m finding that the long scroll format allows for much flexibility compared to the square or the typical rectangular format. I’m still trying to find the right words to describe some of the differences but mainly, I find the square format tends to persuade our focus into the center of the picture, whereas the long horizontal opens up the space, helps me tell a story as a journey or a process. In contrast, the square format forces me to think about a point of interest, a highlight that typically assumes importance.

This shift in perspective can be quite liberating. When you tell a story in terms of a build-up, a climax and a resolution, you often get stuck. The stories may get reduced to cliches. Many stories are just little journeys that may not necessarily lead to a conclusion. Many stories are without resolution. They are just part of the process and you don’t really know where it leads. Many stories also have no climax.

The long horizontal format helps me take my time. I can start and stop whenever I need. I can keep travelling or take a rest.

I’m sharing here two long horizontal paintings which have been very enjoyable to produce. They have a way of capturing the rhythm of things, the never-ending ebb and flow of everyday life. I hope you enjoy them.

Kingfisher. 2021.

Awakening. 2021.

*To know more about Cheong Soo Pieng, check out Cheong Soo Pieng: Visions of Southeast Asia (National Gallery Singapore, 2010)